CLARE Cannon and Noel Hynds have been training for some time but, within the space of five days, both saddled their first winners on the flat.

Bangor-based Clare has held a flat licence since the start of the 2013 season but hasn’t sent out that many runners in the intervening period. Her busiest horse has been the Intense Focus filly Coreczka who, on her 11th start, got off the mark at Dundalk last Friday week evening in the seven-furlong apprentice handicap where she beat the 11/4 favourite, Kodiac’s Back, by half a length.

“I always wanted to have a go at training a flat horse and I acquired Coreczka straight from her breeders in Roscommon out of the field as a two-year-old,” relates Clare. The filly runs in the well-known colours of the trainer’s father Geoff, chairman of the Equine Council for Northern Ireland.

“She has been consistent and was very unlucky not to win in Ayr over the summer but she was stressing about loading and wasn’t helping herself. The hood has helped massively and she settled really well on Friday night. It was great to see her get her head in front as she deserved it. The breeder is equally delighted as her half-brother by Elusive Pimpernel is heading to Goffs’ foal sale next month.

“At the moment I only have Coreczka and the lovely homebred, hand-reared Mount Beckham in training. He’s 16.3hh and was purposely given a very light, four-run campaign last winter over hurdles. He did us proud in his first season, finishing third at Carlisle and Down Royal before signing off with a close-up second at Leopardstown in late February. He’s waiting for rain before we run him again.”

Along with partner Andy, Clare is now fostering children and is happy enough to have just a couple of horses to train. She very much enjoyed her evening at Dundalk.

“It was a great thrill to beat such lofty-named trainers! I accept I am a very small fish in a very big pond and, as I can’t get wins too often, I just enjoy horses now as a hobby. Getting out of Bangor the odd time is an added bonus. Over the summer I got to have my holiday via Stena Line cruises and not on Royal Caribbean!”

HYNDS WINNER

Noel Hynds only recently took out a licence to train on the flat and his first runner, My Princess Emma, finished fourth behind Corezcka at Dundalk.

His second runner, Frozen Fury, finished down the field in the opening two-year-old maiden at Navan on Wednesday but just over two hours later, Noel was leading in his first Flat winner when Jacobs Well obliged in the mile handicap.

The three-year-old Strategic Prince gelding was having his first start for Hynds having previously been trained by Dot Love. He is owned by Kieran Burke and Bernice Boyle from Newry.

Second to Jacobs Well was the 6/5 favourite Bunk Off Early who, on Saturday, had won a 17-runner maiden over an extended mile at Cork. The Zebedee three-year-old is trained in Caledon by Andy Oliver who also sent out Garrett Freyne’s Arcano gelding The Eyes Have It to win a seven-furlong maiden at Naas the following afternoon.